The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for monitoring brake wear and, more particularly, for non-visual and remote monitoring of brake wear.
Current state of the art for aerospace monitoring of brake wear requires a visual inspection of each brake. The inspection includes visually identifying a wear pin mechanism and determining the life left on the brakes through the amount of pin that is visible. The wear pin is a mechanical system, including a rod attached to a pressure plate. As the brake wears and becomes thinner, a pressure plate moves and the wear pin (attached to the pressure plate) is pulled towards an axis of a heat sink. This rod becomes less visible as the brakes wear. However, the design does not enable the electronic sending of brake life indication to a remote user, such as someone in a cockpit. This manual visualization also requires manual data entry into electronic systems to determine wear rates. The visual inspection is also subject to operator misinterpretation.
As can be seen, there is need for an apparatus and method for automated, remote non-visual monitoring of brake wear.